Clary Estes Photography

Left Behind

In the wake of China’s rapid industrialization, many young people are moving to the city for greater opportunities, or as migrant workers to support their families back home. This phenomenon has created a generation of elderly and very young children who are left behind to live their lives in rural Chinese villages. Seen through the eyes of the Huang family, ‘Left Behind’ explores how globalization and the exodus of young people to the city for work affects the families they have left behind. The story exposes life and death experiences and the day-to-day struggles of the Huang family and asks the question: what does it mean to be left behind?